PACMAN’S PET With his faithful Jack Russell Terrier Pacman beside him, Manny Pacquiao, usually a ball of energy, slows down after running at Dante’s Peak in California during a training session for his fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2 (May 3 in Manila). REM ZAMORA
HOLLYWOOD—There was a palpable air of optimism at Wild Card Boxing Gym on Monday as doors were opened to journalists for the first time since Manny Pacquiao held a media workout several days ago.
A television reporter asked what Pacquiao’s plans were after beating Floyd Mayweather Jr., and the Pacman, who’d normally dodge such leading questions, went around and answered it. He would fly back to the country and attend to his congressional work, he said.
Much of the eight-division champion’s confidence is rooted in his renewed faith as he peppered answers to questions with Bible verses.
READ: Pacquiao tells supporters: Don’t worry, just pray for me
“I have peace of mind,” said Pacquiao. “God is with me. His strength is with me.”
“God is good all the time. He gives me strength, so don’t be nervous. It is I who will be fighting on top of the ring. All I need is for you to pray for me and I will take care [of business] in the ring,” he said.
Trust in the judges
Told the Nevada State Athletic Commission would appoint judges for his highly anticipated fight with undefeated American star Floyd Mayweather Jr., Pacquiao shrugged off concerns that he would get screwed if the fight went to the scorecards.
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“Don’t worry about that. All things are possible with God,” Pacquiao said. “I trust [the commission and the judges]. I do not have any doubts about them.”
For the rest of Team Pacquiao, however, the confidence is rooted elsewhere.
“His conditioning is right where we want him to be,” said strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune.
“He’s in great shape,” trainer Freddie Roach said.
In shape for 12 rounds
Pacquiao spent Monday’s training session doing the mitts for 10 rounds, with his corner working hard to bolster his footwork in preparation for the May 2 bout (May 3 in Manila) against Mayweather in Las Vegas.
“Freddie wants him on his toes for 12 rounds; we’ll put him on his toes for 15 rounds [during training],” Fortune said. “When Manny moves, you can’t hit him. So he moves and he punches so fast, throws so many combinations. He’s very, very difficult to hit.”
READ: Justin Fortune says Mayweather can’t keep up with Pacquiao’s speed
Pacquiao started the day with his usual road work early in the morning and was still a ball of energy for his afternoon training at Wild Card, again pushing for more work on the ring with sparring partners.
“We went 10 rounds and he wanted to do more,” said Roach. “I said no. We don’t need the wear and tear. He’s ready to play and he’s in really good shape.”
Need to taper off
Roach added that they’d begin the process of tapering off the simulated fights. Tuesday’s schedule is for eight rounds. As the days move on, the rounds will be lessened until next Monday’s road trip to Las Vegas, where Pacquiao will only spar for three rounds.
Once he hits Vegas, Pacquiao will work out on Tuesday and Wednesday and most probably take the next two days off.
“He’ll make weight by then so we probably won’t have to work on Thursday or Friday,” said Roach, who is encouraged by the way the camp has turned out so far.
Stamina and preparation
“We have a pretty good game plan I feel and I’m happy with that. Some moves we had a little disagreement with, nothing major. We just had to [agree] that we really just should get out and be safe and not always look for the counterpunch and that was the end of it.”
“He knows what he’s doing,” said Pacquiao. “Sometimes I request a couple more rounds but I would just worry about myself if my stamina and preparation are not enough…. But if I’m ready, why should I worry?”
As far as his corner is concerned, it is Floyd who needs to worry.
“Floyd’s never experienced someone who fights at Manny’s pace,” Fortune said. “Floyd has faced three- or four-punch combination guys. This guy throws six to eight. And then [he’s got] speed.”
‘In great shape’
On Sunday, ESPN aired an interview with Mayweather, who said he would beat Pacquiao “in beautiful fashion.” Team Pacquiao doesn’t see that happening.
“Never underestimate Manny Pacquiao,” Fortune said. “[He’s a] dangerous guy.”
The camp has run seamlessly so far that even reports about Pacquiao suffering cramps were proven untrue.
“He’s in great shape,” Roach said. “We haven’t had cramps the entire camp.”
‘In the hands of God’
Roach said the team had problems with Pacquiao’s leg one day but it turned out the Filipino ring icon had a major blister.
While Mayweather hinted that he could go for a highlight victory, Pacquiao refused to predict how he would beat boxing’s last unconquerable star.
“That’s in the hands of the Lord,” Pacquiao said. “We won’t second guess him. What’s sure is we’re doing our best in training.”
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